Unveiling: A Cops and Robbers Story
by Latica
Summary: AU taking place in the Second Awakening of Earth. Syaoran is investigating a series of robberies of artifacts resembling what we know to be the Clow Cards. His mission is to find this Card Mistress and bring her to justice. Sakura is a respected historian who is sought out to help with a JBI investigation. Her mission is to gather the cards. One mission must give in to the other.
1. Chapter 1: The Return to Tokyo

Chapter 1

Syaoran reviewed his flight schedule for that night as he placed another neatly folded stack of shirts inside his suitcase, his earpiece glowing in his ear.

"Why do I have to go to Tokyo to clean up your mess?"

He fastened his clothes in place, checking for the third time that everything was in place. He rolled his eyes as his cousin's voice spoke into his ear.

"Now, cousin, don't be like that. It's an honor to have the head council personally request your transfer to the Tokyo. If anything, you should be curious about the case that is demanding your transfer from Hong Kong."

"Eriol, the flight is booked, I'll be there tonight. It's obvious that I'm taking up the case, so why haven't I received any information from the agency?"

"Syaoran, they want fresh eyes on this case. I haven't even been briefed nor have I heard anything about the case even though the last agent who worked on the case was in the cubicle next to mine. Something must have raised some flags if they are keeping this investigation from everyone."

Syaoran combed his hair with his fingers, an unconscious movement he did whenever he was frustrated.

"I know. I have a weird feeling about this case. I'll try to move up my flight, see you tonight."

He pressed the small button on the side of his earpiece and tossed the Bluetooth devise on his bed. He stared out his window, staring out into the garden in silence. Something about this job felt wrong. All he knew was that there had been a series of high value robberies all over Tokyo, but that was just common knowledge, all major newscasts had covered it at least once, but even their sources were vague.

If anything, this was a job for the Art Crime division, even White Collar, but the Council went as far as extracting him from his undercover job in Organized Crime. He eyed the shrine of his ancestors in the garden, wondering if he should pay it a visit like he used to when he was little and ask for guidance. But he wasn't a little kid anymore, and a bunch of ghosts would be of no help.

He had to solve this case, even though common sense told him to walk the other way. There was something spooking the agency, and he was going to find out what.

By the time Syaoran arrived in Tokyo it was well past midnight and all could be heard were the tired passengers on the plane shuffling their way toward customs. A pair of stilettos clacked against the tiled floor, echoing in the quiet halls. Syaoran felt the irritation from the other passengers like a thick smoke around him, the last thing anyone wanted was for that stupid metronome to follow them all the way to baggage claim.

After clearing customs and collecting his luggage, all Syaoran wanted to do was get to his hotel and sleep till the next morning. Although the woman with the annoying shoe preference was gone, a head ache formed at his temple, pulsing to the beat of the stilettos. He was about to call a taxi when he caught sight of his cousin standing by the curb in a driver's outfit, a small sign in his hands reading SYAORAN LI.

"Just what are you wearing?"

Eriol merely shrugged and pulled Syaoran into a man hug "It's not everyday that my darling cousin comes back to Japan. It's been, what, nine years since you were last here? That calls for the red carpet welcome."

"Whatever. Eriol, all I want is to get to my hotel, check in, and try to get some sleep before our meeting with the captain tomorrow."

Eriol placed the luggage in the trunk of his car, noticing how lightly Syaoran had packed for this 'visit'.

"Oh, I cancelled your reservation. No cousin of mine is staying at a hotel when there is plenty of room in my house."

"I have no energy to punch you right now, just take me to a bed," Syaoran pinched the bridge of his nose, wielding the worsening headache away.

They drove in silence for a couple moments, for a second Syaoran thought it was going to be a quiet ride home. He wasn't so lucky.

"I started seeing someone," Eriol said breaking the silence "She's a designer, owns a small boutique in the heart of Tokyo."

Syaoran barely managed a grunt.

"She's twenty-four, studied in Paris, speaks three languages."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"To brag, mostly. I want you to meet her, she's a sweet girl," Eriol shot him a glance from the corner of his eye "Maybe she has a cute friend."

Syaoran almost laughed at Eriol's failed attempt at subtlety.

"I came here to work, Eriol. I don't need to be set up with a doe eyed girl who loves to shop at her friend's store."

Eriol smiled to himself, a scheming one that Syaoran recognized from their teenage years. He wasn't going to let this go.

"Suit yourself, cousin."

Syaoran was grateful for the quiet ride home.

After much needed sleep and morning workout, Syaoran stepped inside the JBI* office, noting how the stale smell of coffee and stark decoration was standard for all investigation agencies in the world. He placed the hand grip he was using in the car ride over in his briefcase, already spotting the captain on the second floor through the glass wall. Following Eriol through the small maze of cubicles, he soon found himself in Kikyo Mashimoto's office.

The woman couldn't have been older than forty, an impressive age to reach such a high rank in the bureau. She rose from her desk and gave Syaoran a practiced smile, extending her perfectly manicured hand in his direction.

"Special Agent Syaoran Li, it is a pleasure to have you on our team. I am Captain Kikyo Mashimoto, director of the Tokyo White Collar Crimes division."

"Thank you, Captain Mashimoto. I'll try to solve this case to the best of my abilities," he said shaking her hand.

She nodded in greeting to Eriol and motioned them both to sit. Reaching around her desk, she pressed a small button on the side, turning all the glass in the room white. Kikyo pressed a small remote control, dimming the lights in the room as an image projected on the white privacy glass.

"If you turn your chairs to the projection, you'll see the six items which have been removed from Tokyo's renowned museums and galleries. All of these artifacts from the Reconstruction Era of the Second Awakening," she switched the slide and showed each artifact respectively " _The Wind Bearer, The Arrow of Artemis, The Fairy Crystal Glow, The Jump from Gods, The Wings of Shin,_ and the sword _Izanami_ that was said to have been held by Clow Reed during the Reconstruction Era. All these items have been stolen in the last two months from institutions with top of the line security."

Kikyo handed them both the dossiers on the robberies, continuing her briefing as the scanned the files.

"This burglar somehow managed to remove all six items without even triggering a single alarm. We are talking motion sensors, pressure sensors at the bottom of the bullet proof glass which encased said items. That is but one tenth of the security precautions taken to protect these artifacts, yet this world class thief managed to avoid every single one. As the files show, further investigation of the security system like the pressure sensors revealed that the glass was not moved at all in order to remove the artifacts. This leads us to believe we are dealing with a crew heist that must include at least a hacker or someone with vast knowledge of computers and security systems, a foot man, and a suspected third member to help extract the artifacts."

She switched the slide again, this time displaying vague footage of the burglar near the artifact. Moments before the camera short circuited, a strange circle appeared beneath the burglar's feet. A bright light soon blinded all cameras. The image changed again, this time a close up on the circle. Then switching again to a card inside an evidence bag.

"This was recovered from the scenes of the crime wherever it was that the artifact was stolen from. All six cards seem to depict a different image on one side, each relating to the respective artifact: _The Windy, The Arrow, The Glow, The Jump, The Fly,_ and _The Sword_. Meaning our robber not only went through the trouble of stealing the artifacts but leaving these behind. What you saw earlier was the only footage the agency managed to salvage from the third museum. Some sort of technology was used to short circuit all the cameras in each crime scene. That is why this case is of upmost priority, not only are six priceless artifacts missing, but there is a device out there which can potentially damage technology. This could be weaponized and would put at risk innocent people."

Syaoran and Eriol stared down at their dossiers in silence, the weight of the case hanging around them in thick clouds of pressure. Eriol withdrew a page from the dossier and placed it on the captain's desk.

"And what is this supposed to be?"

"That is a picture taken at the first crime scene. It was scribbled on the walls, luckily we were able to photograph it before the paint disappeared, leaving no chemical trace behind."

Syaoran felt a chill run down his spine as he read the message, he suddenly wanted to take the paper and tear it into a million pieces.

 _When the time comes, my friends will return to me. –The Card Mistress_

*Japanese Bureau of Investigation

Author's Note: So here is my new story, if anyone was reading my other story The Essence of Magic I sincerely apologize for leaving it as I did. One of these days I will either take it down, or rewrite it from scratch. Anyway, Sakura will be introduced next chapter and answers to the who Second Awakening will come as the story progresses. I have a clear idea of where I want to go with this story so I expect to see it through. I'll try to update as soon as I can. I apologize if there are grammar and spelling mistakes, I will go back and fix them one of these days, I just needed to get the story out there.

If you read this and care to leave a review, please do. Input is greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2: The Historian

Chapter 2: The Historian

By the time Syaoran finally reached the library it was way past lunch time and it was raining. He took shelter by the stone steps leading to the entryway, wiping off the excess water the best he could. The library itself stuck out against the modern architecture, its exterior was weathered, a mixture of marble and stone that was very common during of the Reconstruction Era. This was the largest library in Tokyo, perhaps in all of Japan.

After their morning briefing with the Captain, Eriol had recognized the circle at the thief's feet to be like the one in the crest of Clow Reed, even the mysterious cards had that symbol on the back. But even though Eriol had recognized the symbol neither he, nor the internet had much information about it. After all, even though Clow Reed was known for being very influential during the Reconstruction Era, regular textbooks didn't talk about that circle, or about cards.

That's how Syaoran ended up at the library. Eriol had found a historian, one that specialized in the Reconstruction Era and in New World mythology. A so called Doctor Kinomoto. Now he probably had to meet an old geezer who smelled like dusty bookshelves and wore corduroy suits. All this for information on a symbol, as if that would magically reveal who the culprit was. But Eriol had insisted on following this "lead," and since Syaoran couldn't come up with a theory of his own, the old smelly dude would have to suffice.

When Syaoran entered the old library, he was expecting a moldy building with cracks on the walls. Instead he was greeted by a grand atrium, its walls decorated with detailed vistas and famous portraits. A huge oak door stood right across him, one that probably led right to the main part of the library.

A low chime announced his entrance, making the receptionist perk up from behind her desk. She greeted him the moment she saw him, welcoming him to the library. She introduced herself as Naoko, and didn't bother to share her last name. As she spoke, Syaoran couldn't help but noticed how she studied him, sizing him up from head to toe appreciatively. To Syaoran, her physique looked as of that of a teenager, and by the way she kept fidgeting with her glasses, he could tell she was attracted to him and was very shy.

Some men were interested in that sort of childish charm, but Syaoran had no intention of going out with someone who couldn't walk up to a bar without getting asked for an ID. He had no intention of going out with anyone. He was here for the case. One he couldn't wait to close the case so that he could return to Hong Kong.

"Listen, Ms. Yanagisawa," he said reading her name from the tag on her breast pocket "I'm here on an urgent matter, I'm looking for a Dr. Kinomoto."

Naoko's smile faltered, quickly becoming a practiced one like he had seen on the Captain.

"I'm afraid that's not possible, sir. Dr. Kinomoto is currently dealing with a very sensitive research and is not receiving appointments. I could refer you to another historian if you'd like."

Syaoran placed his badge on her desk, her expression suddenly full of worry.

"As I said, this is an urgent matter. I'm sure you can make an exception."

"I'm sorry, Agent Li. Right this way."

Naoko lead him away from the big oak doors he had seen earlier and instead went toward a smaller door in the corner which he has assumed was a bathroom. It led to a corridor with many doors lined up on either side, some looked like they led to offices and others to separate reading rooms.

"This is where most students and historians around this area come to do their research for their master thesis and dissertations. We even get a lot of international guests here. The Tokyo National Library holds some of the oldest records and books in the world, some dating back to the beginning of the Reconstruction Era. Of course, those are kept out of reach from the public since they are so sensitive. Only certain people with a very high clearance level, like Dr. Kinomoto, are allowed to read and study these texts. They are highly sensitive after all."

Syaoran followed quietly and gave the occasional nod as she continued to talk about the building. His presence unsettled her, that's why she kept rambling, to keep herself from asking a question she knew he couldn't answer. In another situation, it might have been kind of funny, in a charming sort of way; but Syaoran wasn't feeling the light mood she was trying to create, unease weighed at the pit of his stomach.

The deeper they went into the library, the more surrounded he became by all these old texts and artifacts, the stranger he felt. He walked by an old portrait of a man with long black hair, although the painting was weathered he could tell that he was smiling, a small knowing smile that reminded him of Eriol.

"That's Clow Reed, the real one," Naoko said from behind him, he hadn't noticed he had stopped walking "The library inherited that portrait from Clow Reed after he died. That and a large collection of books from his personal library. I said that this was the real one because it was painted a couple years before he became so famous. Then all the artists altered his image to make him look more powerful, more like a leader. Sadly, I don't know much about him, but if you have any questions Dr. Kinomoto is quite the expert. Speaking of which, we're here."

Syaoran turned around to see a steel enforced door with a small keypad on the side. A small plaque on the door read: _Preservation Room. Only Authorized Personnel Allowed_. Naoko pressed on a red button on the keypad, lowering her head to speak into a microphone on the wall.

"Dr. Kinomoto, it's Naoko. Agent Syaoran Li from the JBI is here to talk to you."

They waited a couple moments before they heard a loud _thud_ from the other side of the room. Syaoran was suddenly alert, wondering if the old geezer had fallen in there. He wouldn't be able to ask him any questions if he had to be taken to the hospital. Naoko led out a small laugh next to him.

"Dr. Kinomoto is very clumsy, this happens all the time."

"And they still let someone like him in the preservation room? Seems a little risky."

A confused look crossed Naoko's face "Agent Li, there must be a misunderstanding. Dr. Kinomoto is-"

A buzzing sound cut her off in mid-sentence, a tall brunette walking out moments later.

"Naoko, I've told you countless times to drop the formalities with me. We've known each other way too long for you refer to me as Doctor, or Kinomoto."

Naoko gave her a sheepish smile, one that the she returned with a dazzling one of her own. Syaoran had to try extra hard to keep his face blank. Dr. Kinomoto was _not_ an old geezer wearing tweed jackets and corduroy pants. She couldn't possibly be older than twenty-five. She had her hair up in a messy bun and was wearing burgundy slacks and white button-down, she looked like she just stepped off campus to write a book report.

"And you must be Agent Li with the JBI, correct?"

She was facing him now, her hand outstretched, her emerald eyes lively but full of warring emotion. It took a couple moments for Syaoran to break out of his daze, it was only when he saw the look in her eyes morph from lively to hurt that he felt like kicking himself.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Kinomoto, it's just that you're not what I expected," he said showing her his badge "I'm Special Agent Syaoran Li, I was hoping you could consult the JBI on a current case we are working on."

Her hurt expression disappeared, replaced by a stern professional one that he wasn't expecting. He wasn't sure which one bothered him more. Just a second ago she was smiling at the receptionist.

"Of course, we can discuss the details in my office."

She smiled at him, one that didn't even reach her eyes. She thanked Naoko for bringing Syaoran this far and dismissed her, asking her to reschedule an appointment of hers later today. With that she led him a little further down the hall, before making a left turn into a staircase. Syaoran trained his eyes on the back of her head as they walked, his gaze eventually hypnotized by the way her hips swayed when she walked.

They arrived at a corner office with a big oak desk and floor to ceiling book shelves on almost every wall. Her diplomas displayed proudly behind her desk, Syaoran caught her full name then, Sakura Kinomoto. Inside there was a small sofa and reading lamp by the corner, the coffee table in front of it cluttered with post it notes and books with countless tabs sticking out. All around the office were small nooks of clutter, with either books or notepads, and even a small stuffed animal with wings on her desk.

"Please, come in. I apologize for the mess, sometimes when I'm doing my research I lose track of time and before I know it, I've made a mess and discovered about thirty new questions that stand in the way of my theories. Please, take a seat."

She hurried to clear one of the chairs in front of her desk, grabbing tons on papers and notes into her arms and looking around her office for a place to put them. Finally deciding on the coffee table, she let her notes pile up, some falling to floor instead. Syaoran thought of his office in Hong Kong, where every paper had a file and each file its proper face. He thought of how cold his office looked in comparison, with not even a single picture of his family, while hers were in every corner.

"So, what can I help you with today?"

Syaoran settled in his seat ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of his head whenever she used that strictly business, he couldn't figure out why that bothered him so much. He shrugged and took out the dossier he had received that morning. Selecting the few pictures relating to Eriol's lead of the circle, he placed them on her desk. He explained to her the series of robberies, how each artifact was from the Reconstruction Era, how they found those cards in every crime scene. He let her examine the pictures, noting how her eye brows burrowed in concentration. When she looked up, her expression was serious but hopeful.

"Are you saying you don't recognize this symbol, Agent Li?"

The question caught him off guard. Of course he hadn't recognized them. That was the whole point of him coming to see her. He shook his head, making a stupid joke about not paying attention in history class. Whatever hope he had seen must have been an illusion, because she was back to her cold self in seconds. She gestured to the different symbols in the back of the card, tracing her fingers over the Sun and the Moon.

"This symbol, it is the crest of Clow Reed. The Sun and the Moon, entwined within the four elements in the circle, represent the House of Clow. He used this symbol a lot during the Reconstruction Era whenever he thought he was enacted justice, whenever he created something new. These look almost identical to the ones pictured in his diary," she stood from her desk and stared at the spines of the books in the nearest shelf, picking up a leather bound one which had the Sun engraved on one side and the moon in the other.

"This is but a replica, but it's clearly written on the pages. He created fifty cards, all containing different a picture pertaining to the name of that card, all with this crest on the back. He called them his legacy."

She referred back to the print outs, the one with _The Windy_ card, and flipped a couple pages in the diary until she was satisfied. Although the one in the diary was but a sketch, it was identical to the card in the print out.

"How can this be? How is this related to the robberies?"

Before she could answer him, her desk phone began to ring. Syaoran waited patiently as he heard the one sided conversation between Sakura and whoever was on the other side. Her voice was softer, warmer as she spoke.

"Very well then, I understand. Thank you, Naoko."

"It seems like Naoko was unable to reschedule an appointment I had at the Council this afternoon. I'm afraid that if I don't leave soon to grab a bite to eat before I go, then I won't get to the meeting in time."

She smiled apologetically at him, her blank as if forcing it to be that way. It didn't suit her face, the blank eyes and grimacing smile. Syaoran felt a pull toward the young historian, but he felt the wall around her, the one she put up the second they met.

"Then I guess I shouldn't keep you then. But I'm afraid I still have many questions Dr. Kinomoto."

Sakura flinched, catching Syaoran off guard. She recovered quickly, shrugging it off as if she had felt a chill. But he saw it, the way she reacted when he said her name.

"It's Sakura," she said, letting out a long sigh "If we are going to be working together on this case then you can call me Sakura."

Something blossomed in his chest when she said that, while his brain tried to process where he had heard that before. Flashing images of a neighborhood he didn't know clouded his head. Shaking off the weird sense of déjà vu, he closed the dossier and looked at her.

"Okay then, Sakura. When can we continue this discussion?"

Sakura seemed to think about that for a while, it looked as if she was battling with herself about something. Something must have given in because she finally fully met his stare for the first time that meeting, her eyes full of an emotion he couldn't place.

"Are you doing anything right now, Agent Li?"

The question caught him off guard. Since he hadn't gotten all the information he needed from Sakura he was probably going to go try to find out information on his own in the office. Still, he found himself shaking his head at her question.

"Good, then you can join me for lunch."

* * *

Author's Note: So here is chapter two. It might seem weird now that Sakura is being so distant, but next chapter will be from her point of view and that will all be answered. Also, I know Sakura is very young to be a renowned historian, but that too shall be answered soon. Please, please tell me what you think so far. Tell me if it's boring, or if its entertaining, or if it still hasn't completely captured your attention but you want to keep reading. Whenever I read the reviews for my past story I remember very motivated. I'll try to keep posting chapters frequently.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSS, I've only been a fan for many years now.

~Stay Golden


	3. Chapter 3: The Legacy

Chapter 3: The Legacy

Sakura was on the verge of losing her mind. She hadn't expected to see Syaoran so soon, let alone in her library asking about the Clow Cards. Something his own ancestor created, something he himself held in his own hands many years ago.

Two thousand years, and he was still the same.

She would have recognized those hazel eyes from her dreams anywhere, yet when he looked at her he only saw a stranger. By some twist of fate she was the only one that remembered their past lives, all their happiness, all their pain. She was the only one who knew what happened to the world, why it had to start again. If he knew, he wouldn't speak to her ever again.

She peeked at him from the passenger seat, studying his profile and noting the differences between the Syaoran she once knew, and the one beside her. His hair was shorter now, but his auburn waves were just as unruly as before. His handsome face remained the same, strong jawline and sculpted nose. It was his built was different this time, more muscular and rugged looking. She had seen the way Naoko had looked at him, as if he were the last man on earth. He was hot. She couldn't blame her for staring, but she still didn't like it.

At that thought Sakura snapped to attention, tearing her eyes away from him and focusing on the road ahead of them. She had no claim over him. No, she didn't deserve to have a claim over him. Not after what she had done. She just needed to get through this lunch.

"It's just up ahead, right next to that children's park."

Sakura motioned to the corner restaurant her brother owned, cursing herself for the excitement bottling inside her when she thought about having lunch with him. She could have just sent him a file with everything she knew, she didn't actually have to have any contact with him, it could have all be handled through Naoko and the agency. Yet she couldn't stop herself, she wanted him near her.

"I'm sorry for intruding in your lunch hour. I wouldn't dream of doing this if the case wasn't important."

The case. That's why they were able to meet again, strictly business. Realizing that, Sakura slipped on her cold façade. Reminding herself that she couldn't get close to him, not without telling him the truth and putting him in a difficult situation.

"I assure you its fine. I would hate to inconvenience the JBI, and this is the only way I can get you at least some information as soon as possible."

Syaoran pulled up in front of the restaurant, rounding the car to open the passenger's side door. Sakura murmured her thanks as she stepped out of his car, by the time it took her to gather her things, Syaoran was already holding the restaurant's door open.

Stepping into the restaurant, Sakura has hyperaware of how close Syaoran was standing, her back almost touching his front. She shrugged away the involuntary shiver and headed to the host's podium where a silver haired man stood looking down at the reservation list.

"Welcome to Nadeshiko's, how can I- Oh, Sakura!" He said when he finally looked up, walking around the podium to envelop her in a brotherly bear hug.

"God, Sakura, it has been a while since you've come for lunch. Should I set up your usual table?"

"I'm sorry, Yukito. I've been swamped at work, I'm actually in a business meeting now with Mr. Syaoran Li here. Do you think you can add an extra chair?"

"Of course, it's nice to meet you Mr. Li. I'm Yukito Tsukishiro, I run this place with Sakura's brother, Touya."

They shook each other's hands before Yukito led them father into the restaurant, a waiter Sakura didn't recognize was already setting up the table next to the bay window that looked out into the park's garden.

Yukito pulled up her chair before leaving to tend the rest of the guests, leaving a small wrapped candy next to her plate. She smiled at the gesture, remembering how he used to do that back then as well.

An awkward silence hung between them, eventually their eyes would meet, making Sakura blush and look away like a school girl. Gazing out into the garden, she spotted her mother's namesake flowers just outside, the nadeshikos. Like in her last life, Nadeshiko died while Sakura was very young. But even so, just looking at her namesake gave her the courage to finally jump into the subject.

"Clow Reed was a mysterious man," she found herself saying "even if he was the leader of the Reconstruction Era, no one really knew much about him, nor what he did with his free time. Some even say he practiced the dark arts. But those cards took most of his time, each crafted meticulously until Clow said his essence was in every single one."

Magic, she wanted to say, Clow Reed was the greatest magician in the world. Yet no one knew. _We live in the world without magic, a world full of mistrust, in which people like us will never be accepted_ , he warned in his diary to her.

"After Clow's death, fifty statues and artifacts were created and scattered all around Japan and China as his dying request. Each resembling a different card. In his last journal entry, he said that his legacy-the cards- would live on. But after his death, no cards were recovered and only those artifacts remained."

They sat in silence for a couple moments, Sakura thought she heard Syaoran say something before the waiter came to their table to take their order. Sakura asked for the chef's pick and a glass of lemonade and Syaoran asked for a plain black coffee.

"So the one responsible must have knowledge of the cards created by Clow. This probably has some kinf of connection to the artifacts if they are targeting them while there are other, more valuable items around. Who exactly has access to this information?"

"To Clow's journals? Everyone. I personally translated and rewrote all of Clow's journals that the library received a few years ago. A few hundred copies were printed, and we have five copies at the library which are constantly being checked out."

Sakura tried to keep her voice even, although none of what she had said was untrue, right then she fit the description of a suspect simply by knowing the existence of the Clow Cards. She had seen the hesitation in Syaoran's eyes, the way he-if only for a moment-believed that she could be the thief. Cold sweat sprouted on her nape, she absolutely couldn't be arrested now. Not before she sealed them all.

"I could get the log out record of the books if you want, or if you want to have one of your men come to retrieve it off the computer. Clow's legacy is at risk, I will do anything in my power to protect it."

Syaoran studied her from across the table, a small smile playing on his lips. Had he deciphered the double meaning behind Sakura's words? What if-

"Thank you for your help Dr. Kinomoto, I mean, Sakura. This day isn't going the way I thought it would, but you have shed a new light on this investigation."

"I'm glad I could be of some help, Agent Li. It's actually quite exciting for me. I never thought a crime like this would ever happen, it seems straight out of a mystery novel I used to read when I was younger."

Sakura busied herself eating the curry the waiter had brought a couple minutes ago, every now and then looking at Syaoran as he drank his coffee in silence, deep in thought. He had taken off his suit jacket when they had arrived, it was only till then that she noticed the way his biceps strained against the sleeves of his white button down. Who was she kidding, she noticed the second he took it off. It was _just now_ that she was able to take in his presence without completely making a fool of herself.

"You keep staring at me," he said behind the rim of his coffee cup.

Sakura was not being subtle after all.

"It's just that you look very young to be a head agent for the JBI. The average age for such a position ranges between thirty-five and forty. But you're what, thirty?... What's so funny?"

Syaoran has chuckling at something Sakura had said, a wide amused smile on his face. Sakura's breath hitched at the way his smile reached his hazel eyes, living them up until they looked like amber. He looked just like in the past.

"I'm twenty-eight, actually. But aside from calling me old, what is truly amusing is the fact that I could ask you the same question. You look old enough to be finishing graduate school, yet you have two PHDs in Reconstruction History and New World Mythology, and probably countless other degrees I don't know about. Either you have found a way to stop aging, or you are some sort of genius."

Sakura chuckled underneath her breath "I'm twenty-five, so much for your first theory. I just-"

For the second time that day, her phone had interrupted their conversation. The ringing continued but she couldn't find her phone inside her cluttered purse. Just as she was able to get her hands on it, it had stopped ringing. A message soon popping up on the screen NAOKO: ARE YOU AT THE COUNCIL'S OFFICE YET?

Sakura sprung from her seat, startling Syaoran so that he spilled the rest of his coffee on his white shirt and onto his black slacks. Sakura reached for a napkin, apologizing as she tried to pat away the excess coffee from his clothes going on and on about how it would stain. Syaoran kept trying to pry away her hands, reassuring her that it was okay. His body tensed when she reached over the table to dry his pants, giving him a clear view inside her shirt.

A couple tables around them turned around to look at the spectacle. Sakura's turned beet red in mortification when she realized how compromising what she was doing looked. Syaoran flustered for being felt up. Their eyes met for a second before Sakura broke the contact and pulled away completely, the napkin still in her hand. She mumbled another long chain of apologies, but Syaoran just laughed them off.

Sakura wanted to spontaneously combust and turn into ashes. He was laughing at her, she couldn't think of any way the situation could possibly worsen. Before opening her mouth to apologize again, her phone beeped again and another message from Naoko urging her to her meeting flashed on the screen.

Gathering her purse from the table, Sakura bowed deeply before muttering something about lunch being paid for and her being late to the council again before disappearing out the back door to call a taxi.

Leaving Syaoran coffee stained and slightly aroused surrounded by strangers.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm sorry, I'm not completely loving this chapter, or Sakura's point of view. But I promised, and some parts would be better explained in the future by her point of view. This chapter is slightly shorter than I intended, but I promise that I'll try to make the next one much better. Please review (it makes me extremely happy), and remember you can keep up with my updates by following the story.

So now I'm off to the beach. Hope to hear from you guys soon.

~Stay Golden


	4. Chapter 4: Of Heist and Time

Chapter 4: Of Heist and Time

"Tomoyo, you don't understand how humiliating that was. Oh God, just thinking about how I-I groped him."

Sakura felt her blood rush to her cheeks, making her feel way too hot underneath her black turtleneck and slim leather pants. It had been almost a week since the incident, and she still wanted the earth to swallow her up whole. Her pink earpiece glowed in her ear, it was the only thing that gave away her location in the sky in the moonless night.

"Sakura, I'm sure it wasn't as catastrophic as you say it was. If anything, I bet he thought it was charming the way you freaked out."

"Oh yeah 'Moyo, guys love a good basket case."

"You can be such a drama queen sometimes. But speaking of guys, I want you to meet someone I've been seeing."

Sakura stumbled on her staff, slightly veering off the straight path to the museum.

"You're seeing someone and I'm finding out _now?_ "

"Again, don't be so dramatic. He said he wanted me to meet his best friend, his cousin from China, he's town and I thought we could kill two birds with one stone."

"It sounds like you didn't want me third wheeling your date, so you're doing that thing where you try to get me to go on a double date so you don't feel bad about leaving with the hot guy later, while I'm stuck making small talk with a guy who won't look up from my chest."

"Exactly, two birds."

Landing on the rooftop of the Mori Art Museum, Sakura transformed her winged staff back into a key, tucking it inside her collar for safety. She felt a little nervous, she had never broken into this museum before. She took out the small drill from her bag and began unscrewing the bolts of the conditioning vent.

"Are you sure that it's the East vent that leads to the main exhibit? I won't have enough time to get out if it's not."

Tomoyo scoffed, feigning offense as she gave Sakura a rundown of the building schematic again.

"Can't you just summon one of those freaky spirit things and make them steal the painting for you? They can't arrest something that's not tangible."

Sakura laughed as she climbed into the vent, the sound echoing all the way to the main viewing room.

"Now, 'Moyo, then we wouldn't have our lovely heist chats anymore. But seriously, I have to actually earn the right to seal the card. If not, then all this effort would be for nothing and it would be a matter of time before the cops-"

Sakura went completely silent as she saw a flashlight in the corridor bellow. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she checked the schedule she had written down the day before. She still had seven minutes before the next guard did rounds around that area.

"Sakura, is everything alright?"

"Tomoyo, there's someone else here," she whispered "Tall, wide frame, dressed in bla- son of a bitch!"

The male thief spotted her in the vent, raising his gun and emptied a whole round in her general direction. She barely had enough time to cast _Shield_ onto herself before the first shot penetrated the vent. The bullets dropping harmlessly around her. Tomoyo, hearing the gunshots went completely frantic.

"Ohmygod, was that a gun!? Sakura, forget the painting get out of there, now!"

"Tomoyo, I'm fine. I'll call you when I'm out."

Pressing the button on the side of her earpiece, Sakura counted to three before jumping out of the vent, the triggered alarm ringing in her ears. A shudder passed throughout her body when landed on the floor. She did a quick survey of herself, thanking shied for still being in effect, if not she would have broken every bone in her legs.

By her calculations, it would take two minutes for the closest guard to run from the East wing, and the police would take five minutes tops. The other thief was gunning toward her just as she recovering from the impact. There was no time.

Time.

 _The Time._

That was the card she was there to seal. If only she could get past the other thief, she could reach the painting by the Kronos exhibit. Deciding to make a run for it, Sakura sprinted toward the painting, transforming her key back into a staff as she ran.

The other thief was right behind her, she could almost feel his breath on her neck. She swung her staff blindly behind her, only relaxing slightly when she felt metal hit flesh, and heard a grunt right before his body collapse. Risking a quick glace behind her, she saw the man groaning on the floor. Satisfied with the fact she hadn't killed him, she kept running.

The painting of the _Tree of Time_ came into view. Another time, Sakura would have taken a couple moments to admire its beauty, but in all the chaos she was barely able to sense the magic coming within the painting before taking action. Conjuring the seal she had learned in her past life, Sakura transformed the painting back into a card, casting it immediately.

The room quieted as everything and everyone froze. She spotted the guard just around the entrance of the exhibit, the other thief paralyzed in mid crawl.

With her magic depleting quickly, Sakura ran back to the other thief. Grabbing a foot in each hand, she dragged him to the stair banister near the back of the gallery. Pulling the hair tie from her hair, and three more from her wrist, Sakura tied his hands against the banister the best she could.

Summoning _Fly_ , Sakura elevated herself back into the air conditioning shaft. Fatigue weighed her body as more and more magic was sucked by the effect of _Time_. By the time she reached the rooftop the effect of the card was long exhausted and she barely had enough magic to fly away from the building.

She watched as seven Tokyo police cars and a SWAT truck pulled up to the museum, she briefly wondered if Syaoran was there as well. She thanked the Sun and the Moon for being out of sight, even though the stammering pink staff kept drawing attention to her.

Every so often the magical wings would dispel and Sakura would drop at least ten feet straight down. Bile rose to her throat every time, but Sakura was too tired to keep her vomit at bay, too tired to even spare a scream. Exhaustion weighed her body down, she was practically hugging the staff to her body in order to stay on.

The wings disappeared again, this time nose-diving Sakura right into a forested area. Sakura tilted her staff, mustering every last ounce of magic she had to summon the wings back. Just ten feet off the ground, the wings extended and sputtered until Sakura came crashing against the ground.

Sakura felt the key return to her collar, feeling the cool metal every time she let out a labored breath. She tried to sit up, but her body screamed in pain. Black spots appeared in her vision, slowly drawing her deeper into the darkness.

Managing to move her right arm, Sakura reached for her phone. Shaky fingers struggled to unlock the cracked touchscreen phone, sighing in relief when she saw the blue hue of her home screen. Pressing down on the lower right corner where her phone app was, she blindly reached for the number one, hoping to speed-dial Tomoyo.

It ringed twice before she heard the receiver pick up.

"'Moyo," she said without waiting for a response "I'm East of the museum in a forested area. Don't call an ambulance. Please-"

The words died on her lips as her vision went completely black. All her pain numbed under weight of her exhaustion. She vaguely heard someone calling her name in her ear before completely losing consciousness.

When Sakura woke up there was a soft pillow under her head, and a warm blanket over her body. With all the adrenaline out her system, Sakura felt the extent of her injuries.

Moving hurt.

Breathing hurt.

Everything hurt.

Sakura opened her eyes, disoriented in the dark, unfamiliar room. the room dark and unfamiliar. A clean lemony scent clung to the sheets. That scent, she had smelled it before on someone. It reminded her of her father and her brother.

"Shit."

Someone flicked on the light switch, illuminating what she assumed to be Touya's room. Family portraits hanging from the walls, her mother's nestled right next to her father's.

"Here I though you left your monster ways behind, and then you go and use a word like that."

Touya walked into the room, his arms crossed across his chest in a stance that reminded her of a parent about to scold their child. Although he said the nickname he used to tease her with as children, there was no humor in his voice. Sakura tried to sit up on the bed, a sharp pain exploding across her chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, you have three bruised ribs. But from what Dr. Yashida could tell those are the worst of your injuries."

His voice was even and calm, way too calm to be any good.

"The veterinarian Dr. Yashida?"

"You insisted on forgoing the whole hospital thing, and Dr. Yashida was around."

She studied his face from the corner of her eye, his expression giving nothing away of what he was feeling.

"I should probably call Tomoyo. She is probably worried sick."

Sakura moved to get up again, this attempt just as unsuccessful as the last. She flopped back on the bed, grateful that at least her head didn't hurt.

"I already called her and explained the situation. She was relieved, and not at all surprised of your nightly adventure."

"Touya, I-"

"You what? You're sorry?" His calm tone was gone, his words now were full of rage. Rage Sakura hadn't seen since she took his bike when twelve on a joy ride and broke her arm going down a steep hill.

"You're sorry that you got caught. Just what do you think you're doing anyway? I don't know how you're doing it, but you're behind those robberies aren't you? Aren't you, Sakura?"

Sakura cringed at his tone. But it was his eyes full of hurt that really unnerved her, making her feel small and fragile. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, then closed it because she could never lie to her brother. She sat up then, ignoring how her body retorted in pain. She couldn't do this if she didn't at least meet him face to face.

"I am."

Touya let out a long exasperated breath, it was if part of him was hoping it wasn't true. He paced the length of the room, running his fingers through his dark hair. When he looked at her again, Sakura almost felt like crying. He looked…disappointed.

"What would Dad say, Sakura? You're a criminal, how do you think that would make him feel?" he asked in a low, pained voice "He's been gone for two years now, and I promised I would take care of you. And yet I had to carry your unconscious body in here, injured from head to toe, wishing I could take you to a hospital but couldn't. Because there is no way of explaining your injuries. I've failed as your brother."

"Touya, that's not true."

"Then tell me, Sakura, what would lead you to do such an incredulously stupid thing? If you don't end in prison, then you'll surely end up dead next time. You're my only family left, I can't lose you too. Promise me you'll stop this."

Tears rimmed her eyes, Touya had always been strong, never had she seen her brother so broken. A lump formed in her throat, making it even harder to breathe, let alone speak. When she finally managed to make a sound, she barely recognized her own voice.

"I can't, Touya. I have to finish what I've started."

Touya dropped to the side of the bed, his head falling into his hands. He shook his head in disbelief, desperation coating his words.

"Why? Is it money? I'll give you every last cent I have."

Sakura took a deep breath, knowing she couldn't keep a secret like this away from him.

"It's not about the money. This is about Dad. I can get him back."

* * *

Author's Note: So here is chapter four, I feel this chapter came out a little too dramatic but I enjoyed writing it nonetheless. Next chapter will be written once again from Syaoran's point of view (probably) which I'll write and post as soon as I get the chance. If there are spelling or grammar mistakes I apologize, I always try to get the chapter out as soon as I can. But feel free to point them out to me. Please let me know what you think by reviewing (they absolutely make my day), and thank you to all of those who have already reviewed.

Follow the story if you'd like to know the second the next chapter comes out. But until then...

~Stay Golden

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, CLAMP does.


	5. Chapter 5: The Ties

Chapter 5: The Ties

The morning after the theft at the Mori Museum of Art, Syaoran and Eriol stood in the scene of the crime, a cup of coffee in hand. The JBI forensics unit had already tagged the evidence in the room, by the time the agents arrived there were number tags and tape all around the gallery.

Captain Mashimoto decided to join them on the field that day, creating tension within the squad. Everyone seemed to be moving a little too quickly, a little too on edge. Evaluations were coming up, and she wasn't happy with the branch's progress. Syaoran wasn't worried, he had only been in Tokyo for a week, and cases such as these took time. Eriol didn't seem affected either, but Syaoran could never tell what he was thinking.

Syaoran pulled a pair of latex gloves from his pocket, handing another pair to Eriol. Discarding the coffee in the nearest trash can, they slipped on the gloves. Together they inspected the scene, Mashimoto tailing close behind them. After a quick sweep, the head of the forensic team walked up to them, his metallic clipboard in hand.

He was well into his forties, streaks of grey from age and stress adorning his black hair pulled into a pony tail. Syaoran had never met him in person, but he could tell straight away that the man had to be the rumored Dr. Kunogi. It was obvious by the way he confidently carried himself, wherever he went people seemed to look up to him for advice.

"Talk to me, Kunogi. What did you find?"

At her curt words, Kunogi smiled kindly at the Captain. Syaoran had heard from the receptionist that Kunogi and Captain Mashimoto had been partners during their rookie years in the agency, and because of that they often dropped formalities.

"Mashimoto, I wasn't expecting to see you out in the field."

"It's not good to stay behind a desk all day. And as you know, this case has been quite a head ache," as if just remembering who she was with, she turned toward her top agents "These are the agents currently working on the case; Eriol Hiiragizawa and Syaoran Li. Li here was just transferred from the Hong Kong branch."

Dr. Kunogi shook their outstretched hands, recalling a quick anecdote in which he had indirectly worked with Eriol.

"It's an honor to finally meet you in person, Dr. Kunogi. So what can you tell us about the crime scene?" Eriol asked.

"There appears to be signs of struggle between the intruder that was arrested last night, and what appears to be a second intruder. There is a hematoma in the first intruder's head, one Natsume Mashida."

He pulled out a headshot of the man who was arrested the night before, a reddish bruise on his forehead. Both of them had already looked into the suspect, but they hadn't had the chance to go down to the police department to interrogate him.

"Mashida probably spotted the second intruder and engaged her. Mashida's skin had gun powder residue, so we can assume he fired at the intruder in the vent above the gallery," Kunogi pointed toward the vent, then to the general direction the bullets came in "There was no blood in the vents so the second suspect got away unharmed, but we still cannot piece together is how the suspect managed to jump down twenty-five feet and still manage to incapacitate Mashida and steal the painting."

" , we suspected the thief was a woman, but did you find something to confirm that?"

Syaoran felt a chill run down his spine as he watched Kunogi motion one of his team members to come forward, an evidence bag in his hands.

"We recovered four pink hair ties from Mashida's arrest, he was found tied to the stair banister by a makeshift restraint made of these. Although we did not find any hair attached to the hair ties, we are sending them in to test them for prints," Kunogi dismissed his team member and faced the agents "As you know, the Reconstruction piece _Tree of Time_ was taken. There are no prints near where the painting used to be, there are only a couple scuff marks leading to the painting before they completely disappear."

"Dr. Kunogi," Syaoran interjected "Was there a card found in the crime scene?"

"No, not this time. But I suspect that the Card Mistress is the culprit. I am no agent, but there is a certain flawlessness to her heists and even if she got a bit sloppy this time around, the place is still clean. I recommend checking the surveillance footage."

"Thank you, Dr. Kunogi. Please let us know when you get the results from the lab."

With that, Syaoran and Eriol headed to the surveillance room in the museum, the guard on duty last night was already waiting inside. When they entered, the guard, Tsukino, was rewinding the tape. His eye must have caught something because he paused the frame, rewinded a couple frames and let it play in half speed.

The agents watched as the male intruder on the ground pointed the gun at the vent and started to fire, a light glow emanating from within the vent. A person encased in that glow jumped down seemingly unharmed before running away and taking out Mashida. Although the image wasn't very clear, Eriol made out the figure of a woman, confirming Dr. Kunogi's suspicion. Suddenly, the woman held up something in the air, the circle of Clow appearing on the ground before the woman and the painting were gone, and Mashida who was in the middle of the gallery- was now tied to the banister.

"Was that a glitch? Go back, frame by frame."

Syaoran watched carefully as one fraction of a second the woman was there and the next she wasn't. He raked his fingers through his hair, letting out a long sigh escape his lips. He looked over at Eriol who had the same confused look on his face. He straightened from his crouched position in front of the monitor and turned to Syaoran, a silent question passing between them. _How are we going to explain this?_

Later that day, after interrogating Natsume Mashida and receiving a very vague and very useless description of the second intruder, Syaoran felt like punching something. "A hot chick with a rocking body," wasn't exactly much help. All he could hope for was that they could find DNA on the hair ties found in the crime scene, but the lab was backed up and the results would take a while.

Raking his fingers through his now unruly hair, Syaoran pulled up the list of names he had received from Sakura the week before. He had isolated all the women, shortening his list from 212 to 57. But for a moment, he let his mind drift to Sakura. He recalled the incident in the restaurant, the mere thought of her flushed cheeks and slurred embarrassed speech brought a smile to his lips.

"Oh, God, what happened to your face?"

Syaoran arched a brow at him in question, momentarily looking away from his screen to look up at him.

"That," he said pointing at Syaoran's lips "Are you having a stroke?"

"Can't a guy smile, Eriol?"

"That's why I'm wondering why you're doing it," Eriol playfully ruffled Syaoran's hair, knowing fully well how much he hated that "Could it have anything to do with the hot librarian? Kinomoto, was it?"

"She's a historian, and what does she have anything to do this?"

Eriol walked up to his desk, entering the agency's civilian profile software to pull up Sakura's profile. Syaoran tried to act surprised, indignant even, but he couldn't recalled how many times he had pulled her profile up.

"She's hot my friend, and unmarried from the looks of it."

He knew that too. He practically knew her entire profile, that her bother actually did own the restaurant the other day, that her mother is deceased and her father is presumed dead. He had also looked her up a couple times on the search engine, finding her academic success a bit intimidating. She graduated high school at age ten, and finished at the top of her class in three of the top universities in the world by the time she was twenty-one. At her young age, she is respected among veterans in her field and is involved in many projects in the archeology field.

"Syaoran, you spaced out with that weird face spasm you call a smile."

"Okay wise guy, what up?"

Eriol shifted his weight from one side to the other uncomfortably, his hands tucked in his pockets like a pouting child.

"What do you mean?"

"You become even more of a smartass when something's bothering you. It's been that way since we were younger."

"It's just that Tomoyo canceled on me today, she said she was taking care of her friend who was in a motorcycle accident. I told her I could stop by and help out, but then she freaked out and completely avoided seeing me."

Syaoran logged off from his computer and stood up from his desk. He patted Eriol on the shoulder, grabbing his suit jacket from behind his chair with his other hand, "It sounds like she's worried about her friend. Come on," he said nudging him toward the door "I'll buy you a drink."

* * *

Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter, it's shorter and not much happens. I just had a hard time writing it, but I had to post it so that the story could keep going. I'll try to make the best chapter better so don't give up on the story just yet.

Please follow the story if you want to see how it develops, and please provide feedback by leaving a review. Those are always appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6: The Cards

Chapter 6

"Again."

Sakura retold the details of her last heist for the fourth time that night. Her temple was throbbing, just like the rest of her body, but she kept that detail to herself, Tomoyo was surely to hand her some pill that would dull her out till tomorrow morning. She was just retelling the part where she handcuffed the other thief when Touya interrupted her.

"That's it!" He jumped out of his seat on the couch, startling Tomoyo "The hair ties, there are going to be traces of DNA on them. It's only a matter of time before the JBI sends it to the lab and they identify Sakura at the crime scene."

Sakura felt a chill run down her spine, that's why she hated those stupid pain killers, they were fogging up her mind. But that wasn't the real problem, even lucid she didn't think of that outcome when she tied the man down. It would be stupid mistakes like these that would get in the way of her mission.

She stared out her brother's living room window, watching as the moon's reflection glistened on the pond outside. Taking a deep breath, she kept focusing on the moon's reflection, silently asking it for guidance. In her past life, Yue was always there to give her advice when she was lost. Remembering Yue forced her to remember her other companion, Kero, which just brought back more memories of her past life. Memories she was ashamed of.

"You could steal the test results from the agency."

Sakura couldn't help but stare at her best friend, the fact that she had just said that such nonchalantly scared her. It was like if Tomoyo was proposing that she go pick up eggs from the grocery store.

"We are talking about the _Japanese Bureau of Investigation_ , Tomoyo, that place is practically a fortress!"

"What about tampering electronically with the test results, the JBI works on an electronic database," Touya chimed in.

"I'm sorry, but are you two insane? Because you sound insane. There is no way I could _hack_ the JBI database, and physically breaking in sounds even more impossible. There are probably hundreds of cameras and guards to get through, not to mention all the security checkpoints."

If she could, Sakura would have pace the room in frustration and anxiety. She appreciated their help and their understanding about her situation, but the more they got involved, the more she realized they were becoming her accomplices. This conversation was enough to get them arrested for conspiring. She felt another pang of sadness hit her square across the chest. If shit ever hit the fan, she would drag them down to jail with her, all because she wasn't strong enough on her own. Just like last time.

"We'll figure something out. We're a team, Sakura."

' _That's what I'm afraid of'_ she thought to herself as she pictured her brother and best friend getting pulled out of their respective businesses with cuffs around their wrists and guns pointed to their backs.

Later that night, after Touya had carried her from the living room to the guest room and Tomoyo had helped her change into something comfortable, she was finally alone. She laid unmoving on her bed, feeling her throbbing pain dull as the pills Tomoyo had shoved down her throat took effect. She expected to knock out as soon as her head hit the pillow, instead she laid awake hours later lost in thought.

It was some time around two in the morning when she noticed that her bag was glowing. It was a warm golden hue that filled the room with light, Sakura could see the edges of her spell book sticking out, pulsing with energy. Carefully, she peeled off her bed covers and pushed herself into a sitting position. Although the medication had numbed most of her pain, her ribs still protested at the action, and her arms shook underneath her because of the muscle relaxers.

Shifting her legs so that they were firmly on the ground, she slowly stood up, holding onto the bedpost for support. She had never put so much concentration into putting one foot in front of the other, never had she clung as tightly as she did to everything around her just to be able to move. She reached the end of the bed, but she still needed to get across the room to the lounge chair near the balcony door. Taking a deep breath, Sakura pushed herself off the end of the bed and landed on her knees, panting, in front of the chair.

Hoping her fall didn't alert anyone, she reached for the bag and pulled the glowing spell book. She opened it and held the ten cards she hadn't left behind at her crime scenes to her chest. She felt their spirits stir, communicating to her that they were worried about her wellbeing. Sakura whispered a quick thank you, tears welling in her eyes as she remembered how she treated the cards in her last life. She apologized over and over again, knowing that they also remembered, but still remained by her side.

All at once the cards in her hands dispersed, joining again to lighten a path to the balcony door. Unable to stand up on her own, Sakura crawled down the path, her ribs protesting with every movement. After passing each card in the path, they would rearrange one in front of the other again, lengthening the path, leading down the balcony stairs and eventually to the pond.

Sakura held onto the stair rails as she dragged herself down every step, hitting a barely stitched wound on her back. She felt the wound open, but continued until she was finally at the pond. The cards surrounded the pond, before plunging inside. Now the pond, which used to be green and dirty, began to glow, the water now purified so that the moon's reflection seemed to make the pond sparkle.

She didn't think as she half-dove-half-fell into the pond. She was surprised to find that the water was warm, warm like her mother's embrace. She tried to recall her mom's face, a time she had actually seen it and not from a picture. She could never recall it until now, now it was a clear memory of her smiling, laughing and holding her close to her chest while whispering "I love you."

Sakura cried then, her salty tears mixing in with the pond's water. The cards released around her, materializing themselves in their spirit forms. All ten gathered around her, coming together to envelop her in a hug. Sakura was moved by their gesture, making her cry even more.

" _The Mistress mustn't cry,"_ said Fly, wiping the tears from her face with her wings.

" _Your cheerful self is the best,"_ Wood wrapped her vines around her body, tickling her midsection. Sakura couldn't but laugh.

" _We would do anything to protect such a beautiful laugh,"_ Voice said running her fingers through Sakura's hair.

" _There is nothing we can't do together,"_ Watery chimed in, making the water swirl gently around her.

Sleep flew around her head, the fairy frolicking until she stopped to place a kiss on Sakura's cheek. Freeze swam around the pond, performing tricks to make Sakura smile. Light and Shadow grabbed Sakura's hands, twirling her around before leading her to the edge on the pond, where shield was propped up against a rock. The Time hovered around the shield, smiling kindly at her as he placed a hand on the shield.

Sakura stared at the smooth reflective surface of the shelf, almost shrieking when an image flickered on its surface. After a couple seconds, Clow Reed's face came into view. Sakura wondered how this was possible, Clow had died hundreds of years ago. Then she looked at Time who sat in deep concentration next to Shield.

"Sakura, my successor, how you've grown."

Sakura was suddenly overwhelmed with warring emotions, at seeing him she felt relief, happiness, but she also felt anger and confusion. The cards shifted uncomfortably around her, noticing the tension in her body. There was so many things she wanted to say, so many things she wanted to ask.

"Why?" She finally asked.

"Why, what?"

"Everything, Clow!" Tears freely streaked down her cheeks "Why did you appoint me _again_? After everything I did, I don't deserve the power, I don't deserve them," she motioned to the spirits around her before looking at him straight on "Why did you take my dad? Why did you make me remember?"

He stared politely at her as she ranted, a calm, composed look on his face. Sakura finished ranting, her breathing labored and her emerald eyes wide and scared.

"What happened all those years ago, has already passed. And while you might be her reincarnation, you are your own person. So stop blaming yourself for another time, because that Sakura eventually made amends. What you are afraid of is for history to repeat itself, but the Dark one is gone, and the only darkness that lives in your heart is doubt."

"She didn't make amends, Clow! She destroyed the world. She drained the world of life and magic. She killed Kero and Yue in cold blood, for the sake of power. It doesn't matter if she was controlled or not, she's still responsible. _I_ am responsible for the Second Awakening. I don't deserve this life, I don't deserve the people in this life. Why did you bring me back?"

Clow Reed didn't say anything for what felt like hours, a troubled look on his face. He let out a long sigh before meeting her gaze. Sakura was still crying, but these were tears full of shame that the cards couldn't do anything to stop them.

"Whatever memories you have are not complete," he finally said "That Sakura did hurt a lot of people under _her_ influence, but in the end she fought to create a new world to make up for the one she had destroyed. A world without darkness, a world she promised him a new life. That Sakura gave her life in the end so that the Second Awakening would be possible, so that you and me could come back to this place and live. It was under her instruction and guidance that I was able to help form this new world, and it is because of her will that you are the Card Mistress. Only after you unlock your memories and unseal the Clow Ruins, will you understand her true intentions."

The image on the shield began to flicker, Clow's face disappearing momentarily. Sakura urged him to come back, she still had many questions for him.

"Sakura, I leave you with one last piece of advice. Though the answer lies in the past, live for today and for yourself. Be grateful for second chances, and never forget your invincible spell: everything-"

Clow's picture completely disappeared, leaving Sakura in the pond with her spirits.

"My invincible spell?"

The spirits returned to their card form in wisps of light, their voices unifying to deliver one last message before becoming cards again.

 _Everything will surely be alright._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own CSS (I always forget to add this)

Author's Note: As I was writing this chapter, I realized that I made a mistake. In the first chapter _The Fly_ was mentioned to have been retrieved from a crime scene, therefore it should have been in the JBI's possession and not Sakura's. I will go back and change it from chapter one so that Fly is indeed in her possession and it makes sense.

Now to a bigger note/confession. This story was originally meant to be the sequel of my other story Metamorphosis: The Essence of Magic; however, that story has been in hiatus for about a year because I ran out of creative juice at the time and couldn't think of how to continue it. The weird part is that I knew how I wanted it to end. Anyway, if you did read my other story, you would understand a couple references made like the Dark one being Eris. Lately I have been thinking about going back to my other story to finish it, but I am not entirely sure yet since I will be starting college soon.

Anyway, sorry for the long Author's note. I just thought I should clear a few things up. Thank you, to everyone reading this story and to everyone who reviewed. It really does make my day whenever I read something from you guys. If you want to be notified whenever a new chapter is released, you can always follow the story and be the first to read it.

~Stay Golden.


	7. Chapter 7: Backyards and Fairgrounds

Chapter 7: Backyards and Fairgrounds

As soon as the spirits returned to the cards, the pond returned to its murky green self. Sakura was splashing the moss like stuff away when she noticed what she was doing. She was freely moving her arms and body without having any pain. She practically screeched in happiness as she lifted herself out of the pond and ran to the sliding doors-another accomplishment all on its own.

She looked like something out of a ship wreck movie, her soaked clothes sticking to her body, blood and dirt staining her light pink pajamas. But all her scratches and bruises were gone, she lifted her shirt to see the large gash in her abdomen was also gone.

Sakura looked back and forth between her reflection and the pond, an overwhelming warmth spreading across her chest. She thought about the cards in her pocket and the conversation she had with Clow, and although she was still confused by what he said, she felt truly happy and relieved to be alive. She didn't think of her past life, she just enjoyed this brief moment of piece and broke out in her own little dance party.

The full moon bathed her features as she swayed her hips and flung her arms into the air. A light flickered on in the living room, Touya and Tomoyo emerging from the sliding door, worried and confused looks on their faces.

"Sakura!"

Sakura gave them the brightest smile she could as she continued to dance without music. She knew she looked insane, hell, she didn't even know if she was sane anymore.

"Sakura, your injuries, they're gone," Tomoyo said as she came closer "But look at you, you're soaked, in your pajamas…dancing in the middle of the night. Come on, let's go back inside and get you in some dry clothes."

"Sakura, come back inside." Touya steadied her by both shoulders, almost dragging her back into the house.

"I don't want to go back, not yet. I just want to be here a little longer."

She ignored the cold chill seeping through her clothes and sat down on the ground. She tuned out their voices and waited until she heard them retreat to the living room before laying completely flat on the ground. She watched the moon as the let herself blend into her surroundings. She felt the damp grass tickle her ears, the moist soil underneath her fingers. She breathed in the mixture of scents from the flowers around her, blissfully high on the smell of lavender.

She saw Yue on the face of the moon, and for the first time she didn't feel guilt when thinking about him, but hope. Hope that she would bring him back, along with Kero and her father. She was still troubled by her past, by her father, by Syaoran and all the Clow cards. She didn't know how she was going to get her DNA off the JBI's database. But for the first time since that day at the ruins, she felt like herself. And she let herself believe, that everything was surely going to be alright.

The next morning Sakura was having a hard time explaining exactly what happened the night before at the pond. How do you say that you practically video chatted with your ancestor/mentor from hundreds of years ago, thanks to a magical shield and an old man with a clock, without sounding absolutely insane. Though they nodded as she explained, it looked more like they were talking to a mental patient. Sakura wasn't quick to correct them, after all her nocturnal dance party was all her own doing.

"I've given some thought on how I can break into the JBI," she said as her brother was clearing the table.

"Going to tear down their walls and demand the test like the monster you are?"

Sakura picked a piece of toast from the retreating plate, managing to hit her brother in the ear with the crust before shoving the rest in her mouth. Touya glared at her, but she only stuck out her tongue at him like when they were children.

"So, breaking into the JBI?"

"Yes, Tomoyo, thank you. So here is the plan: I don't break into the JBI."

Touya and Tomoyo shared a worried look before looking back at her completely lost.

"Are you sure you are completely healed, Sakura? It might be best if you lay down for a while."

"I don't need to lay down, I'm fine. What I meant was that I don't need to break into the JBI because I can simply walk in. A little while ago, I was approached by a JBI agent to help with the investigation on the robberies that I committed, not that they know that of course. They were trying to make sense of my magic circle to somehow pinpoint a suspect. They deduced it was Clow's symbol on their own, they just don't know what it is."

Tomoyo unconsciously played with the napkin next to her, twirling the material between her fingers before slowly tearing off pieces of it.

"So you think you can enter the building with the pretense that you have new information on the case? That could work, but what if they question why you didn't send it electronically?"

"Then I have to turn in something tangible, that absolutely can't be input into a computer. The problem is that I don't know what I can give them."

Touya appeared lost in thought, his hand disappeared underneath his collar to scratch his shoulder, something Sakura noticed he did when he was concentrating really hard. His eyes widened and Sakura couldn't help but imagine an old school cartoon lightbulb lighting up on top of his head.

"You give them something you've stolen. You tell them that you think that an artifact is in danger and that you want to keep it safe."

"And then, once I am inside, I can erase the test from the system. I'll just put everyone to sleep."

"Now the only problem is what exactly you're going to give them, I doubt you are going to give them a Card, especially if it's going to bring up questions as to how you got it. And you can't give them an actual artifact, because you need to actually extract the card, never mind the questions that would rise from you having the artifact."

Tomoyo was right, that would bring up a lot of questions. She needed something she could legitimately give to them, maybe something from the library…

"That's it! Like Touya said, I'll give them something that I've sealed already but that they don't know I've stolen. One of the first cards I sealed was the Light and Shadow cards, they were these twin sculptures no more than a foot tall each. They were in the library buried deep with Clow's texts and journals in the archives. They were completely forgotten. So, if we can somehow forge the sculptures and present those to the JBI for protection, then that would be enough to get me in."

"But how are you going to make forgeries of sculptures hundreds of years old believable enough to fool the JBI's authenticators?"

Sakura just looked at Tomoyo to answer Touya's question, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"I just need one more thing to set this plan in motion. Tomorrow we infiltrate the JBI."

That night, Sakura found herself breaking in to the coolest place yet: the amusement park. The week before she had spotted a sculpture resembling a Clow card in a commercial for the amusement park. Now that she was there, she could feel the faint magical trace from the sculpture atop the bell tower in the center of the park.

Wearing fresh gear, courtesy of Tomoyo, Sakura climbed the chain linked fence and officially committed the B&E. She missed her friend's voice in her ear, their heist chat postponed since Tomoyo was pulling an all nighter to forge the sculptures. Her brother offered to stay on the phone with her, but Touya being all overprotective over the phone wouldn't be as helpful.

Sakura cloaked herself in Shadow, camouflaging in the night as long as she wasn't directly hit by light. She walked briskly through the night, wishing she could just fly up to the bell tower. But with the exception of one Ferris wheel and a roller coaster, there was almost a clear view of the sky and she would easily be spotted.

She held her breath a couple times when she heard the guards doing rounds, they weren't as intimidating and punctual like the ones at the museums, but Sakura was careful to avoid them nonetheless. Once she reached the bell tower, Sakura looked for a service entrance only to find it locked.

Figuring they wouldn't bother to place an alarm on the tower, Sakura mustered her strength and kicked in the wooden door, the rusty hinges falling easily on the floor as the door fell. You could now add destruction of property to her rap sheet, but she figured that if she ever got caught, this little incident wouldn't exactly land her on the electric chair.

Stepping into the bell tower, Sakura saw the long staircase leading to the top. Debating whether she should be lazy and summon Fly, or take the Stairmaster workout to the top floor, Sakura sadly opted for the stairs. Although her wounds had healed, her body was still out of commission for a long time and she couldn't let her body go soft, not if she wanted to outrun the cops.

By the time she reached the top Sakura's legs were burning and she was definitely winded. She leaned against the pillars around the giant bell, giving herself a couple seconds to catch her breath. The magic signature was definitely stronger, but as she suspected, she had to climb higher. Climbing onto the ledge, Sakura anchored herself to the ceiling before swinging her body back and forth to gain momentum. After a couple swings, Sakura managed to thrust her body outward so that she was out of the bell chamber and pulled herself onto the roof.

The concrete edge dug into her abdomen, but Sakura ignored the pain as she turned herself around so that she was sitting on the barely existent ledge of the domed roof. The magic signature was next to her now, strong and vibrant like she remembered. She recognized the jester outfit of the Erase card even encased in stone, the stone cloak at her hands.

Erase was exactly the card she needed for her mission tomorrow, if she could make the files disappear just as she did her friends in the test of courage in her past life, everything would be fine. Sakura released her wand and sealed the card. She heard Erase's quick 'thank you,' as she transformed into a card.

Sakura thought back to another life, to another time where she was in a park just like this one. After making the Nothing card into the Hope card and finally confessing her feelings to _him._ She tried to ignore the excitement bubbling in her stomach at the thought of seeing him tomorrow. She blamed the resurfacing emotions from her past life. But she couldn't allow herself to feel anything for him, at least anything genuinely hers. He was the one hunting her down, even if he didn't know it yet. And tomorrow she would try to steal from right underneath him.

She couldn't fall for him this time, not when he was the one standing between her and her father.

* * *

Author's Note: I actually don't have much to say in this AN. Next chapter will deal with the extraction of the the DNA test results (obviously) I will try to write it as soon as I can, I'll be moving this week so it's a bit complicated so keep an eye out for the update. If anyone is still reading the story, I would really appreciate some feedback, I can't make the story better if I don't know what doesn't work. Anyway, everyone have a nice week, and for those in the US who started school today, have a great year.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSS or any product mentioned in the story.

~Stay Golden


	8. Chapter 8: Mind Tricks

Chapter 8: Mind Tricks

Syaoran had never seen a solar eclipse, but he knew enough to know that whatever was blocking out the sun was not normal. A black sphere covered most of the surface of the Sun, shrouding the city in an eerie blanket where there was neither light nor complete darkness. Around the sphere was the sun's rays trying to escape; however, around it was another layer, one deep crimson that made it look like it was bleeding.

Buildings with shattered windows and scorched walls surrounded him. His body moved swiftly through the maze of abandoned cars as he ran toward something, he just wasn't sure what. His body was moving on its own accord, Syaoran was but a passenger within a shell, one that didn't allow him to hear nor feel anything around him. All he could feel were the vessel's emotions, and while all he wanted to do was panic, his vessel kept running, only but a spec of hope buried underneath his dread.

His feet kept pounding against the uneven pavement, black ash rising from the earth like last breath, barren trees and shrubs decorated the cracked sidewalks. The ground underneath Syaoran's feet collapsed, his vessel seemed to pull out an old Chinese sword Syaoran with a yin yang symbol. One moment he was falling, the next a small gust of wind sputtered underneath him until he was able to latch onto the ledge.

The act took a lot out of his vessel, his body immediately felt weak and merely holding onto the ledge proved to be difficult. Pulling himself up, the vessel kept running toward what all the abandoned cars seemed to have been trying to get away from. Movement in the sky caught Syaoran's eye, a lone figure hovered twenty feet off the ground, tared black clothes flaring around it in all directions. His vessel was running _toward_ it, clearly ignoring the black spherical mass forming behind it. When he was almost a hundred feet away, Syaoran was able to make out the tall slender figure, the long hair blowing around _her_ in a dark halo.

More black masses began appearing around the woman in the shape of holes, spreading around her and consuming the city. Syaoran felt the vessel's lips moving, the back of his throat being stripped raw. The action must have caught the figure's attention, for now it was fully facing him, her crimson eyes contrasting against her pale skin. Her eyes turned from red to green as a burst of light erupted from her chest, dozens of fragments of light shooting upward into the solar eclipse.

Syaoran woke up with a start, his white bedsheets clinging to his sweaty body. He sat up and pressed his bare back against the cool wooden headboard, silently letting it ground him to reality. The dream kept replaying itself in fragments as he tried to calm down, the quick rise and fall of his chest slowly returning to normal. He ran both hands through his hair, feeling the thin sheet of sweat on his scalp. Feeling completely disgusting and too disturbed to go back to sleep, Syaoran flung the bedsheets off his body and headed to his bathroom. His bedside clock reading 2:17 am.

After a long shower and even longer session on the treadmill, Syaoran was completely covered in sweat but his head was a little clearer. Something about his dream kept bothering him. Well, everything about that dream was disturbing, but he kept thinking about that sword. That taijitu in the hilt, that _blade_. He had only seen it one place before, and if he could make at least that part out, then that dream would make more sense. Unplugging his cell phone from the wall chord, Syaoran dialed the number from memory. It was five in the morning in Hong Kong, just an hour behind Tokyo, but the receiver picked up on the third ring.

"Li re-"

"Wei, it's me. Tell her I need to talk to her."

After talking with Wei, Syaoran was filled with a new sense of determination, now all that was left was finding the time to actually fly to Hong Kong. He couldn't just drop the case, and that was exactly why he needed to identify this Clow Mistress as soon as possible. Syaoran was in deep thought when he felt something hit his chest. Picking up the offending object from the desk, he twirled it around his fingers.

"Hacky sack in the office Eriol, really?"

Syaoran threw the small sphere back to him, making sure to put power behind the throw. Eriol caught it merely inches away from his cheek, his knowing smile not faltering.

"Nice throw," he let the sack drop so that he could hit it around a couple of times before making it land perfectly on Syaoran's desk "But in all seriousness, because you know I am nothing but professional, when were you going to tell me you invited your girlfriend over?"

"Eriol, I don't have enough sleep or coffee in my system to pretend to know what you are taking about."

"The librarian, she's down in the cubicle jungle on her way here now. Apparently she has something important to show us, well you, but we're an 'us' right, partner?"

"Sakura's here? She's coming _here?_ Why am I finding out about this now? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Eriol looked down at Syaoran's desk and began rearranging everything on it, the corner of his lips pulling up in a mischievous smile "I just did."

Syaoran let out an exasperated sigh, glaring at Eriol as he cleaned up sensitive information from other cases from his desk. Eriol let out a low chuckle and backed away from the room with the excuse of going for a coffee run. Syaoran didn't miss the quick wink he gave him before disappearing down the hall.

Moments later, Sakura appeared outside his office, a small wooden crate in her arms. Syaoran scrambled out of his desk and went to open the door for her.

"Thank you, Agent Li. It's nice to see you again."

She smiled up at him from behind the box, her emerald eyes looking brighter than they ever did before, less troubled and more vivid.

"I could say the same Dr. Kinomoto, but I surely wasn't expecting to see you again in my office," Syaoran moved closer to take the crate from her hand, her soft, sweet perfume drawing him closer than was necessary. Syaoran caught himself and quickly looked down, taking half a step back before trying to reach for the box again "Let me take that for you, it looks a little heavy."

"Nothing I can't handle, but thank you."

Syaoran looked back up at her eyes, ready to say a witty remark, but when he did her irises were no longer green, but the color of fresh spilled blood. Syaoran blinked away, shaking his head before looking back at her worried expression. Her eyes back to their normal color.

"Are you okay, Agent Li?"

Syaoran reeled back his emotions, blaming his lack of sleep for playing with his head.

"Sorry, just a minor headache. But please, take a seat."

Sakura gave him a worried look before sitting down in the chair in front of his desk, the wooden crate on the floor next to her feet. Syaoran noticed how the traffic outside his office increased, agents- mostly male- from other floors checking out Sakura as they walked by, not even trying to be subtle. Syaoran felt a nasty feeling in the bottom of his gut, not hesitating before pressing the button under his desk that screened the glass wall.

Sakura was looking at him when he faced her again, her eyes darting away from his the second they met. A deep blush spreading from her cheeks, disappearing down her silk collar.

"Is something the matter Dr. Kinomoto? Is it too warm in my office?"

Her blush deepened, giving Syaoran a strange thrill.

"It's Sakura, please. Dr. Kinomoto was my father," her eyes darkened for a second before looking back at him "I'm just completely mortified right now. I realize it's been a week since I- since I spilled coffee on you at _Nadeshiko's_ and I haven't apologized. I didn't even have the decency to offer to pay for your dry cleaning."

Syaoran let out a small laugh, the memory bringing back the image of Sakura's flustered face, looking so cute and innocent that it was impossible to care about the spilled coffee.

"I assure you that it's fine, I remember you saying you had a meeting with the Council that day. I just assumed you were running late, which means that it should be _me_ apologizing for making you late."

Sakura shook her head "I insist on making it up to you some other time. But today, apart from bearing apologies, I come bearing gifts. Well, not really a gift but something that could be useful to you. I mean, you can't keep it, well you can keep it safe, by you I mean the JBI."

"Sakura, you're rambling," Syaoran motioned to the crate by her feet "What's in the box?"

Sakura opened her purse and pulled out her pair of black leather gloves and put them on before opening the crate. Carefully, Sakura opened the latch on the crate and took out two small sculptures, no more than a foot tall each. She placed them carefully on his desk, one sculpted in black onyx and the other one in white onyx. A black she-demon with her left palm outstretched as if she were calling for destruction, and the white angel with her right palm outstretched as if she were calling for peace.

"These sculptures are called _The War of Hel_ , they are twin statues that are said to be the first created by Clow. Each one is worth valued around a million dollars, but together…" Sakura moved so that the sculptures were facing each other, their palms meeting perfectly so that they looked like they were in conflict "Together, they are priceless. I found them in the basement of the library, where we keep our secondary archives that are less frequented by students, it is also where we keep the art that is not in the rotation for display. One of the janitors noticed that this crate was out of place, it was placed with the furniture that was due to be sent to the dump. He thought it was trash but he felt something heavy inside and found these inside."

Syaoran examined the details of the small sculptures, their edges worn by time but still very beautiful.

"Are they legitimate?"

"I only have a minor in Reconstruction art, but I did a little research and I found early sketches of the sculptures in one of Clow's book, and another sketch of this," Sakura took out a couple photocopies from her bag, in it were two sketches, one of the sculpture like she said, and one of two cards resembling the sculpture underneath them written _The Dark_ and _The Light_ "It was also in the inventory of the artifacts donated to the library, but it seems someone misplaced it. I'm just glad we were able to find it before it was thrown away."

"Who else knows about the existence of these statues?"

"Just a small circle in the Library. The janitor found them but doesn't know what they are, I identified them along with one of my fellow researchers who used to specialize in Reconstruction art fifteen years ago. And of course, the director and chairmen of the library were made aware."

"Why did you bring-"

Syaoran was interrupted when Eriol walked in, cardboard tray of coffees in hand "Sorry for the wait, I thought we could drink something a little better than that goo that the coffee maker in the lounge makes."

"Dr. Kin- I mean Sakura, this is my partner Agent Eriol Hiiragizawa. Eriol this is Dr. Sakura Kinomoto from the Tokyo Library."

Sakura stood up to greet him, Eriol's face draining off all color when he saw her face "It's _you._ "

Syaoran could see Sakura fighting her face blank, both of them stood there staring at each other waiting for the other to say something. He saw Sakura reach inside her shirt for something and mumble a couple slurred words under her breath. The next second there was a blast of light and Syaoran couldn't manage to stay awake.

When Syaoran came to, it felt like he had blinked at five minutes had passed. A worried Sakura was looking sitting again, this time answering something about Clow that Eriol must have asked.

"So, you brought this here so that we could create a trap for the Card Mistress," Eriol said motioning to the sculptures.

"Exactly, very few people know about the existence of these sculptures, let alone that they have been in the library all this time. So, if we were to open it up for display…"

"Then the thief would make it a target. Only we'll be a step ahead of her this time. Thank you for coming to us."

"Wait a minute, what's going on," Syaoran said coming out of his confusion "What are you guys talking about?"

"Syaoran, where you've been buddy? We've been discussing this for the last fifteen minutes."

"That's impossible, she just got here. And you came in and then-"

Syaoran pinched the bridge of his nose, wielding away the headache. He tried to remember their conversation, to remember something about the last fifteen minutes but all he could remember was Eriol walking in with coffee and then... nothing.

"I'm sorry, I must have dozed off. I didn't sleep well last night."

Eriol stood up from where he was leaning against his desk and rested his hand on Syaoran's shoulder.

"You feeling okay? It did seem a little strange you weren't saying anything. Maybe you should leave early, sleep it off."

"No way, we are supposed to get those results any minute now," he said brushing off Eriol's hand "I'm fine."

"If you say so," he turned to Sakura and outstretched his hand "Thank you for bringing these here, but it might be best if you take it back to the library yourself. The less people know, the better. We'll have an agent shadow you on your way back just in case."

Sakura rose from her chair and shook Eriol's hand, a warm smile on her face "No, thank you Eriol for listening. I'm glad that I could be of some help."

She turned to face Syaoran and shook his hand "And thank you, Syaoran. I hope I can make it up to you some day."

Something in her eyes shifted, as if there was a deeper meaning to what she had just said, but he assumed she was referring to the coffee incident.

"You can make it up to him tonight," Eriol chimed in.

"We'll see, that part is out of my control."

With that said, she waved the two agents off as she left with the crate in hand and disappeared out the hallway. Syaoran waited until she was completely out of sight before finally asking "What's going on?"

"Drinks tonight, after work at _Kolt's_. Can't back out of meeting Tomoyo today."

Syaoran was about the answer when his desk phone went off, the number of the research lab flashing on the small screen.

"Li," he barked.

"Agent Li, I'm sorry but the results from the hair ties pulled from the crime scene have somehow been erased from the system."

"What do you mean 'erased,'? How is that even possible?"

"I'm sorry Agent Li, we suspect a cyber-attack of some sort but we are doing all we can to retrieve the information."

"Contact IT and the Cyber Defense Unit, is the Captain aware of this? When did this happen?"

The forensic guy gave some lame half answers, it was clear he didn't know anything. Syaoran slammed the phone in the receiver, holding back the urge to slam it across the room. Eriol arched his eyebrow at him in question.

"The results are gone, the culprit is probably working with the thief. Our only lead is gone, we can only hope that the hacker left some kind of trail behind so we have something to show the Captain," Syaoran let out a long sigh "We're not getting any closer to finding this woman."

Syaoran stared at his desk in defeat, frustration rolling off of him in waves. His head ache stepped up its game to a full blown migraine. Whoever this thief was, she was making a fool at of him. Syaoran promised himself to find this Card Mistress no matter what the cost was. Whatever his dream meant would have to wait, he couldn't go back home now.

"You have this very scary look on your face right now. What are you planning to do?"

"Tell me about the plan you were talking about with Sakura, we can't be so passive anymore. We are going to bring whoever is behind these robberies to justice."

* * *

Author's Note:

Hello readers, I am incredibly sorry for not posting until now. My college classes and work have kept me busy, but I'll try to update as soon as I can. I share a room with two other girls so it's hard to find some quiet time to sit down and write. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, it's a little longer than usual.

I love reading your reviews, they honestly make my day when I get them. There was a question regarding Yue and Kero as characters in the story, and I'm sorry to say that they won't be formally introduced for a while. All I can say is that they do play a big role, even if they are not "active," in the story at the moment.

Please keep me posted on what you think, and don't give up on the story just yet. Follow the story if you want to be notified when I update next,but untill then...

~ Stay Golden


	9. Chapter 9:Allies and Deceit

Chapter 9: Allies and Deceit

"It's _you._ "

Sakura fought to keep her expression blank, but all she felt was overwhelming dread. She sneaked a look at Syaoran from the corner of her eye, his expression confused and suspicious as he look back and forth between them. Sakura kept looking at Eriol, begging him with her eyes not to expose her in front of Syaoran. Eriol just kept looking at her as if she was some sort of illusion, as if he blinked she would disappear.

Two thousand years, and the first expression she gets out of him is shock. She hadn't expected him to be in the same city as Syaoran, let alone to be his partner. No, the fact that _all_ of them were reborn in the same lifetime was too suspicious. If only she had all her memories from her past life maybe she could understand a little better what the purpose for all of them being here was.

And perhaps the only one who could give her answers was staring right at her, the one with recognition in his eyes. Out of all of them, Eriol had lived the most lives, both as Clow and himself. He had to know something, and there was only one way to see how much.

Sakura reached into her collar and wrapped her fingers around the key hanging from her neck, the warm metal vibrating with power. Unhooking the key from her necklace, she murmured the incantation under her breath, feeling the staff extend in her hand. Light engulfed the room from her spell circle as she briefly casted _Time_ long enough for her to call on _Sleep_ to put everyone in the building under its influence except Eriol. Sakura's magic took a huge dip as both cards took their toll, having to lean against the chair she was sitting in moments before for support.

She heard Syaoran's body slump against his desk with a low _thump_ , a crease forming between his eyebrows as if he was already having a bad dream. Eriol made his way across the room to Syaoran's desk, placing two fingers on his exposed neck to feel his pulse.

"He's out cold. How did you do that?" Eriol pulled out his gun from his holster and pointed it straight at her "What did you do to him?"

"Relax, Eriol," Sakura raised her hands in surrender, slowly placing her bird staff on the desk "He, and everyone else in the building are taking a little nap. Which means that no one is watching so you can stop this macho-cop act."

The right corner of his lips pulled up into a knowing smirk, although she couldn't recall an exact memory, she recalled him doing that a lot in his past life. Eriol spun the gun in his hand before placing it back inside his holster "You can never be too careful."

"Apparently not careful enough for you to blatantly stare at me in front of your partner and raise suspicion."

"I'm sorry, I mean it's just that this is actually the first time I've ever actually _seen_ you. All this time you've been this flash of light in the security footage. But that's not it, I was just overwhelmed by your presence, I've been sensing your magical essence for a really long time, and this was just the first time that the face matched the magic."

Sakura let go of the chair, standing up straighter so she could notice any change in his eyes when she talked to him. Usually she could tell from the emotions in people's eyes if they were holding something back.

"So, you know who I am. I'm not one to tell people how to do their jobs but shouldn't you be arresting me."

"Even if I wanted to arrest you, which I don't, what evidence could I possibly have to prove that you're the thief apart from me recognizing your magic signature? They would call me crazy and send me to the mad house."

"Now I know you're playing dumb with me. What about the hair ties you recovered from the Mori museum?"

Eriol smiled "I'm not counting that, it's obvious for anyone who can read magic signatures that that sculpture is a fake. A good fake, but hollow nonetheless. So, why would a genius historian bring a fake sculpture to a government building full of evidence? Infiltration."

Sakura didn't say anything for a while, she looked over at Syaoran and felt a guilt hit her like a ton of bricks "He's probably counting on that evidence. It's not obvious to him who I am."

Sadness mixed in with the guilt, the need to cry overwhelmed her, but he reigned in her emotions before looking back at Eriol.

"Who you are, or who you were?" Eriol asked with a sad knowing smile.

"Do you remember?" She asked deflecting the question away.

"No, I don't remember you," Eriol closed the distance between them so that they were standing only a few feet apart "But I feel a connection to you, a strong one. Don't get me the wrong way, I'm seeing a lovely girl right now, which is why I know that this is different. I know you were a precious friend to me."

A ball of emotion formed in her throat, making any sort of talking impossible for her without completely breaking down. She recognized the feeling, but she had always assumed it was because of her memories. Eriol always knew what to say, and even if she had just met him for the first time, she knew she could trust him. Trust him enough to stop beating around the bush and find out what she really wanted to know.

"For you to be able to read magic signatures means that you have to possess magic, but almost everyone who was reborn has no recollection and no powers. How do you?"

Eriol shoved his hand in his pocket, rustling around its contents before pulling out a ring with keys. He unhooked one from the bunch, it was a small key, just like the one that usually hung around Sakura's neck. His wasn't pink and bird like, instead it was round like a moon, with a sun inside, the symbol of Clow.

"I'm afraid that my magic is maybe but an eighth of Clow's. It is just enough for me to be able to sense magical essence, but that's about it," Eriol fisted the key in his hand "I can't even call on the powers on my own staff."

"But, do you remember your life as Clow Reed? He must have had a reason for doing all of this."

Eriol looked like he wanted to say something but didn't know how. Sakura assumed it had to do with his recollection as his time as Clow.

"What did Clow Reed tell you?" She prompted.

"Not much. He didn't entrust any of his memories onto me. All I know is that moments before I was born he came to me. He told me of the Clow Cards, of how they sealed themselves until it was time for their new master to claim them. He said a girl would be born in my generation, the one who would collect them, he said she would need my help. It was then that he took away my memories from my past life as Eriol and sealed them away with the rest of my power."

Sakura didn't know what to say. For Eriol to remember something like that was remarkable. She could somewhat relate what happened to him to the ruins. But at that time she was given memories, but something much more important than that was taken from her.

"So your memories are sealed along with your powers, that must be the case for the others too."

Eriol placed the key back on the ring before putting it back in his pocket, his smile halfheartedly sad "You sound relieved."

"Let's just say I wasn't the best person two thousand years ago, maybe it is better that none of you remember," Sakura said with a bitter smile.

"Maybe," Eriol picked up the staff and handed it back to Sakura "But from the looks of it, you don't remember her either, at least not all of her anyway."

Sakura didn't say anything, because really, what could she say to that? He was right. But there was something about the way he said it, as if he knew something she didn't. She wished she could just stay here and talk to him some more, but she had strayed away from her mission long enough. Sensing this Eriol moved so that his body wasn't standing between her and the exit

"Surveillance is in the bottom floor, the lab is in the sixth."

Sakura smiled at him as she walked past him, stopping when she was right at the threshold before reaching into her purse for a card "You realize its nap time, right?"

Eriol raised his hands in surrender and sat on the floor with a chuckle, Sakura heard his body slump against the floor as the door closed behind her. Once she was sure she could find her way back to Syaoran's office, Sakura began to sprint down the hallways, taking the stairs from the tenth to the sixth floor two at a time.

The floor was cluttered with sleeping bodies, like how she imagined it was on every floor. Sakura stepped over people in lab coats, hoping that none of them were carrying sensitive evidence for research. After walking around a couple times she finally decided to check the fire escape map for the room with the analyzer.

When she walked in, there was a blonde woman clutching a piece of paper in her hand, she thought nothing of it as she summoned _Erase_ and asking it to erase all evidence leading back to her in the system and on the hair tie. Erase dematerialized into the computer, a couple minutes passed and the jester was standing in front of her again. When it spoke, Sakura heard the card's voice in her head " _All traces of DNA are not gone from the hair tie, and the results from the computer have been eliminated. Is there anything else I can do for you, Master?_ "

"It's just Sakura," she said out loud, taking the glowing figure's hands in her own "There is one other thing I need to you to do for me, erase all the footage from about twenty minutes before _Sleep_ took effect until about ten minutes from now."

 _Erase_ curtseyed and vanished into the air. Retracing her steps from earlier, Sakura stepped over the blonde woman on the floor, noticing the Chinese characters for "Courage," tattooed on her left wrist. Making sure she closed the door completely behind her, Sakura returned to the stair case and went back up to Syaoran's office.

Once inside, she gave herself a minute to rearrange her clothes that had moved while she was running around. With her staff in hand, she dispelled _Sleep_ on only Eriol.

"That was fast, how long was I out for?"

"Fifteen minutes," Sakura pointed at his cheek "You have some drool on your face."

Eriol went to wipe to see that there was nothing there "Haha, very funny."

Sakura was about to say something when her phone went off in her purse, Tomoyo's face flashing on the screen. Sending the call to voice mail, Sakura sent her a quick text message telling her everything was fine, that she would call her later. She turned around to see Eriol looking at her funny.

"Was that Tomoyo Daidouji? Wait, wait, wait, are you Tomoyo's Sakura."

Sakura saw where this was going. Of course they would be dating in this life time as well.

"You're the guy she seeing," she looked over at Syaoran "And he must be your cousin from China."

"Now we definitely all have to go out for drinks. Wait, weren't you in a motorcycle accident?"

"Something like that, that's a story for another time. I have to lift the spell off the building."

Sakura turned away so she could place some distance between them, mostly to avoid talking about the four of them double dating. She rose her staff and recalled the effects of _Sleep_ , making it so that Syaoran would take longer to fully wake up so that he wouldn't realize he had completely lost consciousness.

"Syaoran will be awake soon, what are we going to do with the statues? If an art authenticator comes he'll know they are fake."

"Just follow my lead, we're going to make it seem like we are going to use the statue as bait."

Sakura and Eriol assumed their positions, her sitting on her chair again and Eriol leaning against Syaoran's desk. Together they discussed a plan to bring down to Card Mistress, the irony was not lost in them as they did so. Syaoran spoke when he was finally awake, he was confused but maybe that worked to their advantage.

Now that he was awake, Sakura couldn't get out of there fast enough. Guilt gnawed at her by merely being close to him. She was thankful when Eriol prompted her to leave, she practically had to hold herself back from running out of the office. She smiled and thanked the two Agents, her words heavy with meaning Syaoran wouldn't understand when she said she would make it up to him. And she would. She didn't know how, but she had to.

Once in her car, Sakura let out a long sigh of relief. She hooked up her phone to her car's Bluetooth and drove away from the JBI building with the crate in the passenger seat. She noticed a black car following her, it must have been the agent Eriol had placed on her to escort her back to the library. She paid no mind to him as she dialed long distance on the keypad on her car screen. The phone ringed twice before an older gentleman picked up the phone "Li residence."

"Hi, Wei," she said in Mandarin "This is Sakura Kinomoto, we've spoken a couple times. I had called a couple weeks ago to speak to Ms. Yelan Li but she was out of the country. I was wondering if I could talk to her now."

"Yes, of course, she's been expecting your call. I'll forward the call to her now."

Sakura thanked him and waited patiently for her to pick up the phone. Nerves rose from her stomach up to her chest, she gripped the leather wheel tighter to calm them. Sakura was just turning into the main street leading to the library when she heard the stern but melodic voice on the other side "This is Yelan Li."

"Ms. Li, thank you for receiving my call. This is Sakura Kinomoto from Japan."

"Miss Kinomoto, of course, it is nice to finally hear your voice. I assume you are calling regarding your previous request to examine the ruins. But you already know my answer to that."

"Yes, I know you rejected my proposal to examine the ruins, but I know now that the answers I'm looking for do not lie within the ruins."

"Where do they lie then?"

"With you. I would like to talk to you in person, whenever it is convenient for you of course."

There was a long pause on the other side of the line, for a second Sakura thought she had hung up.

"I'll have Wei make the arrangements. I will see you in Hong Kong next week."

* * *

Author's Note: Here is chapter 9, I feel like it was too heavy on dialog but I really didn't know how to else to depict what is going on. Well, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. I have a lot of papers coming up in the next couple of weeks, but I'll try to update as soon as I can.

Thank you to all of you reading the story, and to those reviewing. They really do bring me a lot of joy.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS

~Stay Golden


End file.
